Holding On and Letting Go
by onceuponasonnyday
Summary: One thing is for certain: some doors are opening, and others are closing. For Shisui and Sakura, it's both. These next few chapters are going to be one hell of a ride.


Hello! So, this was my first time writing fanfiction for Naruto, and my first time attempting to write fanfiction in years. I appreciate any constructive criticism or comments, and I would love your feedback!

I do not own Naruto in any way. I just appreciate his characters and I hope this does them justice.

* * *

Konoha was absolutely beautiful at night. The stars held a unique, unmatched brilliance, and the only disturbances were from bars or restaurants located far away from the residential district.

A dark, lone figure reached his final destination, _home_, pulled out a key and opened the door quietly. It was nearly two in the morning, and he was unsure of the status of his companion. There was only a single light left on in the home, right above the kitchen sink. The habit started after he came home exhausted from a mission one night, walking right into the pantry cabinet. _She'll never let me live that down_, he thought.

The man silently dropped his pack by the front door, toed off his boots, and made his way into the bedroom. On the bed, half covered by an ocean blue comforter laid his love.

_She must've had a tiring day, _he concluded after she hadn't noticed his presence. She had every reason to be exhausted. There was a shortage of medics at the moment, so Sakura was forced to take on extra shifts and responsibilities to at the hospital. After treading softly into the bathroom, taking a quick shower, and dressing in his pajamas, he slid under the covers and slowly took his girl into his arms. She stirred slightly and a minute later she quietly sighs, "you're late, what happened?"

"I'm sorry," he murmured, "there was a terrible lightning storm and Itachi had us wait it out."

"Are you hurt?"

He shook his head. "I'll tell you about it in the morning, promise."

She muttered a response along the lines of "as long as you're okay" before dosing back off. He smiled at this, loving how his safety is at the forefront of her mind despite the time of night. She might be a bit annoyed that he missed such a special day, their six month anniversary, but it doesn't matter because Shisui's homecoming ensured that he would be around for the next one. The two lovers find comfort in each-others warmth, neither waking up until close to lunch time the next day and spending the afternoon wrapped in their own little world.

* * *

Despite being in a relationship for half a year, the two kept their liaison a closely guarded secret. Dates would occur at her apartment (because he still lived in the Uchiha compound), such as them cooking dinner together or watching a movie and laughing the entire time. They were not ashamed of being together, but they wanted to enjoy themselves without worrying about the reaction from his clan or either of their nosy, dramatic teammates. One day they would deal with what is to come, but today was not that day.

Today was the day Sakura visited the market and spent an hour observing the fresh, organic merchandise the venders had to offer. She absolutely _loved_ grocery shopping. The different smells of fresh herbs and spices filled her nasal cavity and excited her for the future meals to come. When they can, she and Shisui enjoy preparing and cooking meals together. sharing a bottle of alcohol and simply spending precious time together. There were no dangerous A- rank assignments or people in need of immediate attention, there was just the two of them laughing and carrying on, falling more in love.

Her favorite part of grocery shopping, however, was when she began the trip home. Most days she and Shisui find a way to "run into" each other, letting the village see their public coincidence and him offering to walk her to her destination. "It's a pleasure," he would say after she declined him. "Besides, what would Mikoto-chan think if I left a beautiful woman alone and defenseless?" Sakura would smile at him, reminding herself to get him back for the comment later. If he had been anyone else, she would have sent him flying across the village the second he said it. He wasn't just anyone though, he was her person.

"For your information, Mikoto-san _knows _that I can take care of myself. But if she insists, how could I say no?"

Sakura could take care of herself, that much was true. However, it does not mean that he would stop trying. Shisui would then carry her bags and ask about their contents. The two of them slyly planning the meals out as they walk, taking a long way around and stopping at a dango stand while enjoying each-others presence. To many, they are simply two friends that ran into each other and decided to spend time together. If you were to look closer though, you could see the lingering gazes, blushing cheeks, and a desire to show unfiltered affection.

Because of Sakura's occupation as a medic-nin, and who her teammates were, it was not unusual for her to be seen conversing with members of the Uchiha clan. After her training with Tsunade, she had almost become a private medic for some of the can members and is personally asked for upon arrival at the hospital. However, Sasuke's parents, specifically his mother, seem to think that Shisui's fondness of Sakura goes beyond her medical ninjutsu, chakra control, and amazing strength- finding every way to bring Sakura up in conversation.

After the passing of Shisui's parents, Mikoto and Fugaku had embraced the young boy and brought him into their fold. He was best friends with Itachi, treated Sasuke as he was a younger sibling, and fit perfectly into their family. They want what is best for him, so when Mikoto saw the affection and love between those two one day in the market place, she knew that she would do everything in her power to encourage their relationship.

"_Shisui-kun," Mikoto would always start with a glint in her eye, "could you be a dear and take these rice balls to Sakura-chan? Sasuke mentioned how hard she's been working lately, and she truly deserves them."_

Shisui knows what she's doing and that she suspects of their relationship, but nevertheless, he always accepts the duty. He could never say deny an opportunity to see his girlfriend, especially when it involves his surrogate mother's delicious food.

* * *

Five months later, Shisui's ANBU team (consisting of himself, Genma Shiranui, and Itachi Uchiha as Captain) were assigned an S-ranked, covert assignment. Sakura was not included on the missions need to know roster, so all Shisui told her was that it could be a while before he's home. "It may be a couple months," he had said. She was worried, not knowing where he was or how he was doing would kill her, especially because they had become such integral parts of each other's lives. She couldn't see a future without him.

Sakura had never told him that either. She never admitted that she worried every time he stepped out of the village, afraid that he would come home battered and bruised, beyond her ability to fix. She was petrified that he would get in over his head and sacrifice himself to save his comrades. She was afraid of the possibility that she would have to attend his funeral, weeping beside Mikoto and falling apart for the world to see. _She was afraid that he wouldn't come home at all. _

Shisui knew that she worried for him, but Sakura doubts that he knew the extent. He was troubled when she left for missions as well, but she has hardly had any assignments out of Fire Country lately, and they were never as extreme as the ones his team accepted.

All of her distressing and apprehensions had Sakura questioning the next step of their relationship. She knew that she wanted everything with him- marriage, kids, the rest of their lives. What scared her was if Shisui would be around to appreciate it. ANBU was important to him, and Sakura knew this. He needed the adrenaline rush that came with completing an exceptionally dangerous mission and coming out of it alive. He wanted others to know that he was willing to go to any extreme to protect his loved ones and his country. ANBU is such an integral part of who he is, and Sakura never wanted to give him that ultimatum, but she did not want to be left home alone with a child, hoping that she _might be_ able to see him again.

She had never told him about this, though. It was an incredibly selfish, wanting him to slow down his career so that she could see him more. Besides, they had not even gone public with their relationship yet, how could she tell him her fears?

They spent that night together, holding each other in warm, tender embraces and breathing one another in. Every word was spoken in low, hushed voices, and when morning came he was gone. All Sakura was left was her fears and anxieties, praying that he would make it back to her alive so he could hear them as well.

"Please don't worry," he murmured to her the night before, "I'll be home soon."

_God, I hope so._

* * *

Shisui was gone for almost four months.

In the first two weeks of those four months, Sakura had cried, worried, and thought through enough worst-case scenarios to last a lifetime. She knew that she loved him, that she only wanted him, and that it was time that everyone knew as well. _He's in for a surprise when he gets back_.

Sakura had made several executive decisions regarding their relationship after those couple weeks. First, she had gone public with hers and Shisui's relationship. She told Tsunade and Shizune one afternoon in the Hokage tower right before the end of her shift, and, surprisingly, their responses were precisely what she expected.

_Tsunade leaned forward and placing her chin on the top of her hands. "Are you sure that this is what you want?" The women in this room knew exactly what the stakes were when you married into a clan, what they expected of women. _

"_Can you handle what they are going to throw at you? Demanding that you leave your job, your career, everything that you've worked for behind to become a silent, unopinionated birthing machine?" She only wanted what was best for her student, and making sure that she understood this was how she was showing it. _

_Sakura smiled, already knowing this. "We all know that Shisui and I would never allow that to happen, Shishou." _This is what I want, _Sakura thought. _

_Tsunade was not through confessing her truths, though. "And what about his career? Are you okay with him being gone for weeks, months at a time, like right now, while you're holding down the fort at home?" _

"_That's something that Shisui and I are going to have to talk about when he gets home." Until then, she has a future to prepare for._

She was not as worried to tell Tsunade, if Sakura was being honest, as as she was about coming clean to the rest of her friends and team. Specifically her team, because their reactions could go either way.

"_This is so strange, Sakura-chan," Naruto exclaimed. "Why are you doing this?!" The "this" that he was referring to was inviting her team over for a cozy night in with dinner made by Sakura. _

"_Well, we haven't been together in so long and I wanted everyone together," Sakura replied. She would tell them later in the evening, after they were relaxed and enjoying their meal. They could be protective and Sakura wanted this to go as well and easy as possible. Kakashi hummed at her, as if he didn't believe her, but never said anything. He probably figured that he would find out later on. _Knowing Kakashi, _Sakura theorized, _he's probably caught us a while ago and chose not to comment.

"_Why? What's so strange about it?"_

"_We never do dinner at your house," Sasuke said, "we always go out because you said we're picky and annoying." _ It's true_, Sakura thought. Naruto only enjoys food that is drenched in salt and soy sauce, Sasuke won't eat anything remotely over salty, and Kakashi still hasn't shown them what's under his mask yet so he dodges at eating with the three of them in any intimate setting. _

"_Well, I made tempura and only dipped some of them in the flavored salt. Sasuke, I have that on a side plate for you because I know you don't like a ton of it. Naruto, I made ramen in case you don't enjoy the fish. Kakashi, I beat the boys back and forth over Training Ground 33 today and we've come to an agreement that we're not going to try and sneak the mask off of you tonight." The three men stared at her with looks of wonder, fear, and curiosity. After a minute, Sakura lightly questioned them, "what?"_

"… _it's just that… well…" Naruto started after the moment of silence, but was cut off by Sasuke finishing. "You would never do this without something big happening. So, what happened?" _

_Sakura kept her face straight but mentally winced, hoping that she could avoid this conversation till after dinner. The problem was, they would never make it because her boys could never let it go until then. She sighed, _Things never work out the way I want them to.

_Might as well rip off the band aid. _

"_Shisui and I are dating, and have been for about a year. "_

_There was a moment of silence, followed by Naruto screaming "what" as loud as he could. "Why would you do something like that Sakura?!" _

_Sasuke piped in angerly, "with my cousin of all people?" _

"_It's not like we started dating to get at you guys! I really like him, he really likes me, and I wanted to tell you before he gets back from his mission so that you guys can get this shit out of your system before he gets back," Sakura said. They both start bickering at her, criticizing her choice in men and questioning her sanity. She turns to Kakashi, who has been silent this whole time, and raises a single eyebrow. He knows that it's Sakura's way of asking "and what about you?" _

_He sighed, "does he hurt you?" _

_Sakura frowned, confused at his question. "No, of course not."_

"_Are you happy," he questioned again. _

"_Yes," Sakura answered, still slightly confused. _

_Kakashi looked at her and the skin beside his eye crinkled, giving the impression that he was smiling (at least a little bit). "Then I support your decision, and I will continue to as long as you're safe and happy."_

It was Kakashi's answer that caused her heart to flutter. She knew that the other two felt similarly, but he was the only one that said it that night. She is happy and she is safe.

She just wants Shisui, more than anything.

The second thing she did while Shisui was on his mission was talk to Mikoto and Fugaku Uchiha. To be entirely honest, Sakura didn't plan it. Eventually, Sasuke had told his mother about Sakura's revelation, and she had asked Sasuke to invite his cousin's girlfriend over for dinner. From the moment she found out, Sakura was petrified out of her damn mind.

"_Why does she want to have dinner with me, Sasuke?" He snorted, knowing that she knew the answer already. Mikoto already knew and loved Sakura. It was just she knew her as Sasuke's teammate and the Godaime's apprentice. She wanted to see how Sakura would handle the clan's scrutiny, and there was an official way to handle this business. _

"_It's probably for official reasons anyway. So my father can feel out the situation and officially deem you worthy," Sasuke replied. _

_Later that evening, a week or so after Sakura told her boys, it was just the Uchiha clan heads and Sakura, who was as nervous and anxious as she possibly could be. She had tried to keep the conversation light and airy, asking about Itachi and how he was doing, answering Mikoto's questions about Sakura's work at the hospital, and so on. Finally, towards the end of the meal when Sakura was beginning to relax, Sasuke's father started in. "You do understand that you would be expected to have a child within the first year of your marriage, correct?" _

_Sakura almost spit out her drink, lurching forward as a way of conveying her surprise. He did not stop there either. _

"_I…uh…I…"_

_Fugaku continued, "and you would have to end whatever you have going on with the hospital as well." His tone was high and mighty, as if Sakura were simply wasting her time on her career. "There will be no time for that once you two marry." _

_She had no intention of offending him, but what he said just passed the line of "concerned for his adopted son's well-being" and went well into the "downright sexist" territory. "With all due respect Fugaku-san," Sakura replied in a sickly sweet tone, "I love Shisui, and because I know he share's my views on this topic, it is safe to say that I will not be resigning from the Hospital in the near future for any reason_. _I love what I do, and if there is a decrease in any of my work in the future, that will be between Shisui and I." _

_His face was expressionless, and hard for the average person to judge. Fugaku was a typical Uchiha, never showing outward emotion whether positive or negative, but Sakura had learned to read them very well and she knew that she won this time. _

_For the rest of the meal, Sakura and Mikoto shared a delicate and smooth conversation, discussing the food, swapping recipes, and promising to meet up again very soon. As she walked out the door, Sakura kept her head held high and her posture confident. Unbeknownst to her, she had earned Fugaku and Mikoto's approval. There was no doubt about it Sakura would do just fine with handling the clan and their expectations._

* * *

Three months or so after the dinner with Fugaku and Mikoto, Sakura was startled awake at two in the morning by a harsh pounding at her door. She ran, her heart slamming against her ribcage, and yanked it open to find an ANBU operative standing there. He instructed her to go to the hospital immediately, giving no indication on reason, but she knew why: _Shisui_.

"_You're presence is expected at the hospital as soon as possible," the agent said before they left._

Sakura is ninety percent sure that it was Neji delivering the message, but she could not bring herself to care. Sakura ran around her room, throwing things left and right while trying to find pants and a shirt, knocking her head into her bedside table when she reached for her shoes. "Goddamn it, now is _not the time!" _ Sakura shouted to herself as she ran around her apartment and down the street.

When Sakura arrived to the hospital less than ten minutes later, her fears were confirmed. Wherever they were, whatever they were doing, it started three months ago when he told her goodbye and ended with an ambush so bad that even Itachi was critically wounded. _It was three against fifty, and they were all down and out. _Sakura sat in the waiting room for the rest of that night and morning, hoping that someone would finally come out and tell her that the love of her life was okay.

When Shizune finally walked out, she saw Sakura asleep in a chair, covered with what looked to be Sasuke's jacket and laying her head on Naruto's shoulder. Kakashi was out of the village, due home any day now, or else he would be there too. Sasuke noticed her and shook awake Sakura, who vaulted out of her chair. "Please tell me he's okay, Shizune," Sakura pleaded.

Shizune gave her friend a nod. "He's stable and out of surgery. We have him resting in recovery right now. From the stress of his trauma, especially the swelling in his brain and the work we did during surgery, he has been placed in a medically induced coma. In a couple of days, we will begin the process of waking him up. However, after that, it is up to him. Give the nurses an hour to get Uchiha-san set up and you can go visit him, okay?" Sakura nodded vehemently. She was a doctor, a medic-nin, so she knew how this worked. But at the moment, on the other side of the line, she was nothing more that someone worrying over her loved one, and she couldn't bring herself to care what she must look like to anyone else in the waiting room.

The Sand man (and not Gaara) must be holding a grudge over her because as much as she wished time would fly by, it was going slower than the eight and a half hours that Shisui was in surgery. For a week, he was all she thought about- his jokes, his smiles, the way he'd rub the back of her head when they were laying on the couch together, _everything_.

Shisui's team was already low on chakra and exhausted, so when they were ambushed on the journey home, they didn't have a chance in hell of coming out of it unscathed. It took everything they had and Shisui flickered them closer to the village at just the right time.

_They almost didn't make it, _Sakura told herself. She knows that she shouldn't allow herself to think like that, but it was almost impossible. She almost lost him, and Sakura swears she'll never take advantage of his presence, his laughter, his jokes, _his love_ again.

For three days, Sakura sat by his bed and waited with him. She read Shisui's favorite books, told him about everything he missed while being out of the village, and confessed her deepest fears of him never waking up. She knew that there was a chance that he could hear her, but she also completely forgot that others could as well. She also forgot that Shisui's teammates were not explicitly aware of their relationship, so when Itachi came to visit his cousin and brought up the village's rumors, she confirmed them.

"How long?" Itachi asked her.

"A year, give or take a couple of weeks," Sakura replied. Time seemed like an illusion at the moment, none of it felt real at all.

"Hm." _Now it makes sense, _Itachi thought. "Then I believe he asked me to pass on a message to you."

Sakura's eyebrows jumped up. "But I thought you didn't know about us? How do you know it was me that you were to pass the message to?"

Itachi, whom had been looking at Shisui's face, turned to stare at Sakura. "Because you love him."

"_Itachi," Shisui gasped out, searching for a breath of clean air, "I need you to tell someone something for me." _

_The ANBU Captain knew this tone, and he would not accept its use. "Tell them yourself." _

_The sound of metal scraping against metal seemed relentless, and it seemed as if there was no end in sight. Shisui sent out a fireball before he looked Itachi in the eye. "Just in case, I need you to tell her this, okay? So shut the hell up and listen."_

_Now they were back to back, two sharingans, four eyes, and momentarily separated from their other squad member who seemed to be holding his own. "How will I know who she is?"_

"_We love each other, Itachi, you'll figure it out."_

Sakura was extremely quiet for a second before she asking, "what did he say?" She brought her eyes away from Itachi and turned them to her love, asleep but not quite peaceful.

" '_Not one minute will I ever regret spending with you. I only regret not having more time.'_"

Sakura let out a harsh sob, and before she could stop herself she was ben over in her chair, leaning onto the hospital bed. Itachi came forward and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, saying nothing. He knows what she needs, and it isn't his words.

Three days later, Shizune ended the round of medication that was keeping him in the medically induced coma, but he still hadn't woken up yet. Sakura knew that this could take time but to be on the patient side of the board gave her an entirely new perspective.

Her team members had visited several times, Kakashi even stopped by within hours of his return to the village. He sent her several words of encouragement, but the way he ruffled her hair on the way out managed to send her into tears again. _Please wake up_, Sakura thought, _please, please, please._ Genma stopped by when they were medically cleared. According to them, Shisui took an attack straight on and what the attack didn't damage, the follow up attack did. Itachi and Genma have been rotating in and out of the room, not wanting to leave their brother in arms or his partner by themselves. After all, it very easily could have been someone else lying on that bed.

Another three agonizing days later, he finally woke up.

When Shisui opened his eyes, Sakura was laying across his legs, sleeping, and he could see the stress taking its toll on her. There were dark circles under her eyes, her hair looked oily, as if it hadn't been washed in a week, and she just looked exhausted. When he reached down to rub her head, something he would always do, he felt the of the battle on his body. He lurched forward, coughing hard and trying to catch his stolen breath. Instinctively, this woke her up. Sakura's eyes slammed open as she stood up and pressed a now-glowing green palm to his chest. "You have to take slow deep breaths, okay? You've been through a lot. Take your time."

A few minutes later, Shisui was leaning back in his bed, breathing as best he could and wanting to take her into his arms. Sakura looked scared out of her mind, as if she were surprised that he woke up. The best he could do was put a hand on her cheek and wipe her tears away. "Hey now, I'm okay now. Please don't cry anymore," Shisui pleaded.

Sakura choked out a small laugh. "It's all I seem to do these days, Shi. I don't think I'm good at anything else right now." It hurt his soul to know that Sakura was hurting this bad. Yes, she was a ninja as well so she knows, and has accepted, the risks, but when someone you love is in this position, its heartbreaking.

He had stayed in the intensive care unit for another two days before getting transferred to a normal room for another two days. Medical ninjutsu can only do so much, and the doctors want to be extremely sure that Shisui does not have any neurological problem that might inhibit his life or career. While he was growing extremely antsy, Sakura was secretly relieved. Since he woke up, she never brought up her fears to him. She planned to once he was better, but she didn't know how to address it properly.

At the moment, they were discussing her dinner with Fugaku and Mikoto. "I still cannot believe that Fugaku-chan actually told you that we better have a goblin "or else!" Shisui was laughing so hard that he had tears in his eyes, despite this not being the first time he heard the story. Sakura lightly slapped his arm, and corrected him. "Stop! He did not say that needed a kid or else, he said, and I quote, "you need to have a child within the first your of your marriage." That's completely different!"

He laughed again, "how is that different? When he said it, did his eyebrows come together to form one, large, lightly combed unibrow? Because if so, that's his _"or else" _sign!"

Sakura gasped then laughed. "He combs his eyebrows?" _He always has the best gossip_, Sakura thought. She loved this- this moment right here. The two of them laughing, gossiping, and just being together. Nothing could ever beat it. _I still haven't talked to him though, and I have to before he goes back on the mission roster. _Sakura doesn't _not_ want him to have a career, she just wants him to live long enough to experience what more their relationship has to offer. Sakura had been quiet for a minute, gazing off into space when Shisui bumped her on the arm. "Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey- Sak, you in there?" He asked her as he nudged her arm. "What's happening in that pretty head of yours?"

Sakura sent him a fake smile bfore replying, "nothing. Everything's fine, I promise." Shisui shook his head, knowing better that to believe that. Something had been off for days and he finally wanted to know what was wrong. "You can tell me anything, babe, you know that. What's going on?"

Sakura sighed. Shisui was just as bad as her team, never taking a hint to drop a topic, never able to leave anything alone no matter how much she begged. He wasn't too nosy, he just wanted what was best for her. Plus, Sakura had a tendency to keep her worries bottled up until they came out in a fire-y explosion. "I'm just worried about you, that's all."

He sent her a small smile, rubbing her arm and trailing his fingers down till he grabbed her hand. "There's nothing to worry about. I'm here, I'm almost better, and soon we can go back to the apartment and just be with each other okay?"

"That's not all I'm worried about, Shi." Sakura took a deep breath, _this is the moment of truth._ "I'm worried that the next time you go on one of these missions, you won't come home." Shisui knew what he signed up for when he joined ANBU. It was never something he wanted or desired, like Itachi, the clan pushed him to join the ranks and work his way up. Somewhere along the line, he began to crave the feeling of ending a successful mission, loving the adrenaline coursing through his veins. It was something he loved, but did he really need it anymore? Shisui had so much waiting for him at home, and so much waiting for him in the future. Did he really want to chance it just so he can have one last thrill, as if there aren't other- safer- things that would be just as thrilling, but more safe? _Things that would let him see his precious people more? _

There were a few more moments of silence before Shisui finally said anything. "What could you see me doing, if I weren't in ANBU?" No decision had to be made right now, but it couldn't hurt to just talk about it, right?

Sakura beamed. "Well…"

He hadn't left ANBU immediately. Part of him knew that it was time, but another believed that he still had some life to breathe into the organization. So, a couple of months after _that _mission, he still fought on. Reconnaissance, assassination, and infiltration remained a main aspect of his life and job, until he slipped up and would up with a poisoned sword in the stomach.

To be entirely honest, it was his fault that it happened. Itachi and Genma were preoccupied with their own enemies and Shisui had slipped up, only letting his guard down for a second. But, that was all the enemy needed to use his clone and attack him. They held the wound as best they could, rushing back to the village in hopes of arriving in time. Sakura had been on shift at the time, and when she saw the bloodied, poisoned men ramming themselves through the hospital door, it took all she had to just move and help.

In the end, he made it, but that was the last straw for Shisui to submit his resignation request to the Hokage. The look in Sakura's eyes, and the entirety of the situation, made him realize that he came so close to losing everything.

Besides, becoming a Jōnin instructor may turn out to be just as fun.

* * *

_Two years later. _

A collection of cries and metal on metal filtered throughout Training Ground 3. His team had been at this for six hours, but all the kids had managed to do was tire themselves out. One minute the three of them were ambushing him from all sides, and the next they found themselves tied to large wooden stakes, watching their sensei eat his lunch.

"Come on Sensei!"

"Give us a break!"

"Ugh this sucks!"

After he finished his meal, a few minutes later, Shisui stood up in front of them. Never did he think that he'd be giving lectures to genin on stealth and the importance of teamwork. _I never thought I'd leave Black Ops either_, he thought to himself. "So," he started in a cheery tone, "what did we learn on our first day together?"

This wasn't his first team, but he decided that the test was a perfect indicator of readiness, and when he asked Kakashi about borrowing it, the older man laughed and went "you might as well, none of my brats are planning on it."

The first two squads never had a chance, but this one holds some potential.

"That we aren't gonna beat you, no matter how hard we try," spoke Amaya Harada. She is the daughter of a merchant and the first in her family to enter the academy. She was the toughest one out of the three, initiating the plans of attack and trying to control every outcome possible. She also has amazing chakra control for a fresh-and-green genin. _She's gonna be one hell of a kunoichi_, Shisui mused.

"That doesn't mean that you shouldn't try. You never know when an enemy might slip and drop their guard, but you have to be focused and prepared. Nara, what about you?"

Kisho Nara was one of Shikamaru's cousins, and he can be just as lazy. "We learned to never listen to you if you tell us not to eat breakfast before training," he snapped. Kisho did not like to be hungry, and did not like being lied to, so he was in for one hell of an awakening when he realized that those two tend to be simultaneous where missions are a concern.

"There will be times when a client has lied about the severity of the mission in order to pay less for it. Whether that's because they want to save or spend money, it doesn't matter. At some point in your career, you will be cold, hungry, and uncomfortable and you will be expected to complete your missions correctly and within time." _Another reality of the job. These kids don't know what they signed up for._

Shisui sighed. "Haruo, got anything you wanna complain about either?"

Haruo Ito paused and then nodded. "When will you untie us? I really gotta go pee, sensei."

The Uchiha gave a small, tired sigh. _This is gonna be an S-Rank mission in its own, _he thought. He walked up to the posts and threw down a kunai, cutting only Ayame's rope. "Yeah, we're done. See you guys bright and early tomorrow for our first mission." Afterwards, he transported himself away from the wretched goblins he calls students and lands outside his home.

As Shisui walked in, he could smell the dinner that Sakura was making. Over the last few months, she had decreased the amount of time she spent in the hospital. She used it as a coping mechanism, to deal with her fears of him getting hurt while he was on assignment.

"_I just put myself in a different mindset. I can't help you while you're gone, and I don't enjoy being helpless, so I put myself in a position where I'll never be helpless," Sakura explained to him once a while ago. _

It makes sense, and with Shisui no longer taking missions of that caliber, she did not need to put herself in that situation either. When he walked into the kitchen, Sakura was standing in front of the stove with a "Kiss the Cook" apron on. With a grin on his face, _well if you insist_, he embraced her from behind, planting one right on her left cheek. "Good afternoon, beautiful."

She turned to look at him, a light blush on her cheek as she replied "Hey yourself, gorgeous. How did the first day go with the new genin?" Sakura couldn't help but grin, because she knew exactly what they were feeling right now: inadequacy, anger, excitement. It made her miss being that young just for a moment, but she would not change anything about her past.

Shisui shrugged his shoulders. "Eh, you know how it goes. I think this one's a keeper though. You'd like the girl, she's right up your alley."

After a few more minutes of conversation, Sakura leaned over and turned off the stove, sliding the food off the heat. "Speaking of new things, I have a present for you." She walked out of the room, but not before ordering him to stay right there. she called out, "don't move a muscle!"

He was confused. _A present, _he thought, _for what? _There was no way she had known that he passed the genin group, and nothing important had come up lately. _What could it be?_

Sakura walked into the room with a small box and handed it to him. It was covered in a beautiful navy blue wrapping paper, surrounded with white ribbon and a red bow on top. He glanced up at his wife and ticked an eyebrow. "What did you do?"

Sakura huffed at him. "Just open it!"

Shisui slowly unraveled the gift, wanting to take his time. In the middle of the box sat an adorable onesie with the phrase "World's Number One Daddy!" written on it. His eyes widened and started to tear up. He looked back at Sakura, who's eyes were watering as well. "Are you sure," he asked, "absolutely sure?"

She immediately nodded at his question, confirming it. Then she was tackled and taken into his arms. They knew that they both wanted kids, but it was something that the couple wanted to occur naturally. After they got married, six months after he quit ANBU, they decided that Sakura would go off the pill. There would be no shots or fertility specialists, and if it didn't happen then it was okay.

_But, God, are they happy that it did. _

After everything they had been through together, every person in their lives were getting their own happy ending. Naruto and Hinata are married and in love, Itachi is dating someone special (but he won't reveal who it is to anyone which is killing Shisui), and even Kakashi is taking solace in Anko (which some people were surprised about, but others were not). Through-out their lives, everyone from Sakura and Shisui's childhood were growing up and creating the next generation. Whether it's through procreation, teaching, or cultivating and growing the abilities of a squad.

One thing is for certain: some doors are opening, and others are closing. For Shisui and Sakura, it's both. These next chapters are going to be one hell of a ride.

_Not one moment do I regret. _


End file.
